(Batting Order) Name - Position(s), High School, State
(1) Joe Demersal - Second Base, Gilmore Tech HS, California
(2) Mitch Underwood - Shortstop, El Paso Senior HS, Texas
(3) Dave Gordon - First Base / Outfield, Christian Academy, Georgia
(4) David Dawson - Center Field / Pitcher (right) / Shortstop, Lincoln HS, Illinois
(5) Nick Madigan - Right Field / 1st Base, Elk Grove HS, Illinois
(6) Blake Stepford - Left Field, Hillside College Prep, New York
(7) Lucas Smith - Third Base / Outfield, San Clemente HS, California
(8) Trent Black - Catcher, Carver HS, Texas
(9) Daz Whitman - Designated Hitter /Pitcher (left/middle relief) / Outfield, Alsop Academy, Alabama
Pitchers:
Allard Hensley - Pitcher (left), Slippery Rock HS, Arkansas
Luke Cash - Pitcher (right) / First Base, Oak Ridge HS, Missouri
Austin Moran - Pitcher (right) / Infield, Citrus HS, Florida
Kale Cameron - Pitcher (left /closer), Sulphur HS, Louisiana
At lunch, we all sat at a couple of tables. They had a tent set up next to the press box at the stadium. Volunteers served us cafeteria-style. I was going to have to get someone to start bringing me lunch because this was sketchy. They had foil-wrapped pulled pork sandwiches, dry mac & cheese, and salad that had seen better days. It was good that we were all teenage boys, or the food might not have been eaten.
“What’s the deal, Dawson?” Blake, our New Yorker, asked. “Are you some kind of prissy-boy who needs twelve coaches and a personal valet?”
That got a laugh out of everyone. I could see where this might confuse baseball players. In football, I’d seen plenty of other players with personal coaches. Well, never three, but these were my high school coaches, and I imagined this was as much of an adventure for them as it was for me.
“You can’t say that,” Dave said.
I think everyone thought he was joking, but he wasn’t.
“Gay people have feelings too. You should watch what you say, because statistically speaking, one or more of our team is probably a homosexual. You don’t want to create an environment where they might feel uncomfortable. Plus, they can’t help that they’re different. We need to create an environment where everyone feels welcome. ‘Prissy-boy’ is a trigger word, and calling David that could be construed as hostile. We want David to feel safe.”
Did he just call me gay? I gave him one of my quizzical ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’ looks, but he was oblivious, so I let it go for now. God love him. I knew he was trying to do the right thing, but you’re talking about a group of teenage boys who play sports. Dave needed to learn there were times you had to stand up for what you believe in. And then there were others where you should read the situation, put on your big-boy pants, and realize it wasn’t said to really hurt someone. Jocks will say things around each other that in the normal world would be frowned upon in a big way. Let’s just say that I’d heard some comments that would make ‘prissy-boy’ seem tame.
I could only shake my head when Dave kept saying, “You can’t say that!” It quickly became a competition to see who could top the last inappropriate comment to get Dave riled up. I stayed out of it … well, except when I needed to defend myself, at which point I tried to be just as inappropriate. We were all almost in tears from laughing so much. Dave came across as his sister had described him: a self-righteous prick.
◊◊◊
After lunch, the press cornered me on the way to the field. I grabbed Coach Kingwood and made him stand next to me while I gave them the ‘just glad to be here’ routine. I looked around and there seemed to be a lot more spectators. At Elite 11, they’d only allowed family and friends to watch practice.
◊◊◊
We were designated the home team, so we would take the field first. You could tell the whole atmosphere had tensed up. I suspect everyone realized that they were about to play in a game where they were probably not the best player on the field. For many of them, this was a first. It could be intimidating when you play the best-of-the-best. I had a big leg up because of my Elite 11 experience.
Coach Kingwood gathered us around to give us final instructions.
“Remember, I want you to focus on attitude and effort. Keep your head in the game, and just do your best each play. When you make a mistake, shake it off. One play at a time, with attitude and effort. Now let’s go kick some Brave butts!”
“You can’t say that!” someone called out.
Coach Kingwood looked at us like we’d lost our minds. Dave’s face turned red, but it lightened the team’s spirits.
“Indians—I mean, Native Americans—have feelings, Coach,” I explained.
“It’s Brave, not Braves. Like Dave is ‘brave’ to point it out,” Allard Hensley, one of our pitchers, corrected me.
“‘Kick butt’ is a trigger phrase,” Trent Black, our catcher, explained.
“Dave has been teaching us stuff,” Lucas Smith, our third baseman, said, thankfully pointing at the other David.
